Folding chicken-coop



H. A. BARNARD.

FOLDING CHICKEN COOP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12,1911.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

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H. A. BARNARD. FOLDING CHICKEN COOP. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I2, 1911.

1 327368, 7 Patented Jan. 6,1920.

2SHEETS$HEET 2, 5'- v 4 W 2 Z 75 z wiiwaoo HUGH A. BARNARD, OF HOUSTON'VILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

FOLDING CHICKEN-COOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

Application filed March 12, 1917. Serial No. 154,326.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH A. BARNARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houstonville, in the county of Iredell and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Chicken-Coops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a chicken coop and has for one of its objects, the provision of a device of this character, which may be readily collapsed and unfolded when desired, so that the device may be returned to the owner collapsed, thus reducing the space occupied during transit and reducing the cost of shipment to a minimum expense.

Another object of this invention is to provide the device so constructed, that it may be readily folded and upon lifting upwardly upon the cover or top, the front and rear walls automatically move into an unfolded position.

A further object of this invention is to provide the end Walls so connected to the front and rear walls that they rest flatly upon the bottom at all times, either in folded 0r unfolded position, and which will permit them to be folded outwardly of the front and rear walls when desiring to remove the contents of the coop.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for permanently connecting the front and rear walls to the top or cover, which will permit them to readily fold inwardly over the end walls and permit the cover or top to rest flatly thereon.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a folding chicken coop of the above stated character, which shall be simple, durable and efficient, and which may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement 'of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a folding chicken coop constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same, illustrating one of the end walls folded outwardly of the front and rear walls,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the chicken coop in a folded position,

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view of the device, illustrating the end walls partly folded,

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, illustrating the device in a folded position,

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of the device in a folded position,

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view illustrating the means for connecting the front and rear walls to the top or cover, and

Fig. Sis a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the means for connecting the end walls to the front and rear walls so that they will rest flatly upon the bottom wall at all times.

Referring in detail tothe drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a solid bottom having secured at its front and rear edges, members 2. Vertical uprights 3 are hingedly connected to the members 2 by staples or like fasteners l. The vertical uprights are relatively spaced and are connected by a plurality of relatively spaced cylindrical bars 5, which cooperate with the vertical members 3 in forming front'and rear walls 6 and 7. The lower ends of the vertical members 3 are beveled as at 8 to permit them to readily swing upon their hinges i so as to overlie the bottom 1 when the front and rear walls are in a folded position.

End walls 9 are constructed from upper and lower members 10 and 11 which are substantially rectangular in cross section and are connected together by vertical bars 12. The lower members 11 are positioned between the members 2 upon the bottom and have pivotally connected to their ends, arms 18, as shown at 1. and which are in turn pivotally connected to the members 2 upon the bottom 1 as shown at 15, providing a novel form of hinge construction, which will permit the end walls 9 to rest flatly upon the bottom 1 at all times. The hinges also permit the end walls 9 to move upwardly when being swung to a folded or unfolded position, thus permitting them to swing freely and position themselves flatly upon the bottom at all times.

A cover or top 16 is constructed from a plurality of relatively spaced and transversely extending bars '17, which are substantially rectangular shape in cross section and rest upon the upper squared ends of the vertical uprights or members 3 and are con nected together by a plurality of relatively spaced bars 18.

Elongated loops 19 have one of their ends secured into grooves formed in the outer faces of the vertical uprights or members 3 by fasteners 20.

The other ends of the loop members 19 are bent at right angles as illustrated at 21 and overlie the upper faces of the members 17 and are secured thereto by fasteners 22. The fasteners 20 and 22 pivotally connect the loop members 19 to the front and rear walls and cover or top 16, thus providing a construction which will permit the front and. rear walls to fold inwardly over the bottom and end Walls after they have been folded and permit the cover or top to rest flatly thereupon. This construction also provides means whereby upon lifting upwardly upon the cover or top 16 after the front and rear walls have been moved to a folded position it will automatically move the front and rear walls to an unfolded posi tion simultaneously.

Some of the bars 18 connecting the members 17 of the cover 16 together are cut away for the purpose of forming a door Way 23 adapted to be closed by a door 24. The door 24 consists of a pair of relatively spaced bars 25 which are apertured to receive one of the bars 18 forming a hinged connection between the door 24 and the top or cover 16. The bars 25 are connected by rods 26 similar to the bars 18. Less material is cut from one of the bars 18, which are cut away to form a doorway 23, to form an anchoring extension 27, which is adapted to be received within an aperture of one of the bars 25 of the door 24 as illustrated in Fig. 3 in dotted lines, to hold the door in a closed position. The door 24 is normally urged in the direction of the anchoring extension 27 so that it will enter the aperture of one of the bars 25 by a coiled spring 28.

Substantially U-shaped anchoring members 29 are pivotally connected to the end bars 17 of the cover or top 16 and are adapted to have their arm portions swung downwardly so as to engage the upper members 10 of the end walls 9 to hold said end walls 9 in a vertical or unfolded position.

When desiring to fold the coop, the anchoring members 29 are disengaged from the end walls 9 and they are folded inwardly upon the bottom 1 and permitted to rest flatly thereupon by the hinged connection as shown in Fig. 8. The front and rear walls are then swung inwardly over the end walls 9 permitting the cover or top 16 to move downwardly and rest flatly thereupon, owing to the connection therebetween consist ing of the loops 19, thus providing a very compact article when in a folded position, which can be shipped and will not occupy a large space, thus reducing the expense of shipping crates to their owners when in an emptied condition.

When not desiring to remove the contents of the coop by way of the door 24, one of the end walls 9 may be swung outwardly of the front and rear walls, thus permitting the chickens or other contents of the coop to pass through the ends thereof.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A folding coop comprising a bottom wall, cleats secured to the front and rear edges of the bottom wall, end walls pivotally secured to said cleats, front and rear Walls hingedly secured to the cleats, a cover resting upon the upper ends of the front and rear walls and loop members having the upper end thereof bent at right angles thereto. the lower bers being pivotally secured to the outer faces of the front and rear walls. the angular terminals of the loops being pivotally secured to the cover for permitting the front and rear walls to be folded inwardly over the end walls and permitting the cover to rest flatly upon the front and rear walls and preventing outward movement of the front and rear walls in relation to each other.

2. A folding coop comprising a bottom wall, cleats secured to the longitudinal edges thereof, end walls pivotally secured to the inner surface of the cleats at the ends thereof, front and rear'walls pivotally secured to the upper surface of the cleats. the inner portion of the lower edges of the front and rear walls being beveled upwardly to permit folding movement thereof, a top cover, loops pivotally secured to the outer surface of the front and rear walls and extend ing over and pivotally connected to the up per surface of the top cover, as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of a witness.

HUGH A. BARNARD.

Witness:

BENNETT S. J owns.

portions of said loop mem- 

